EXCLUSIVE: Ridge Holland Reveals Pitch To Win WWE NXT Title From Trick Williams

WWE NXT Deadline 2024 would have featured a different ending to the semi-main event had the company accepted Ridge Holland's pitch, as the now-former WWE talent has revealed he pitched to defeat Trick Williams for the NXT Championship.

The main event of Deadline was booked following a renewed push for Holland as a heel, which saw him dismantle Chase U and then enter the NXT Title picture in late 2024. Ridge ultimately didn't win the title at Deadline, though, as he was defeated by Trick Williams in a 15-minute match.

Holland addressed his NXT push while speaking to Cultaholic's Tom Campbell, and the former rugby league player detailed his pitch to win the NXT Title. This would have led to a short reign for Holland before dropping the belt to Oba Femi.

"I wasn't going to get the opportunity to show that I was better than what they thought in that current iteration of the [Brawling] Brutes. So I thought if I could go back down to NXT as a singles guy and kind of revamp and show what I can do, then it might serve me better coming back up with a fresh coat of paint. I think it was going great, but then it was like we'd get somewhere and it'd stop for some reason, and I'd never know why," Ridge said.

"For instance, I wrestled Trick [Williams] for the NXT Title at Deadline. I thought, personally, I had the most heat out of any heel. I thought I was doing really good work and they seemed happy with it. I thought the thing we should have done is let me have a short run with the belt, give it to a big heel. And then eventually, my pitch was to put Oba over really strong, and then obviously that would make Oba."

Following Deadline, Holland transitioned to a feud over the NXT North American Championship with Tony D'Angelo. Holland was then Ricky Saints' first opponent in WWE, but the match was poorly received and Holland disappeared from NXT following the contest.

The 37-year-old resurfaced in WWE EVOLVE as the Steam Pig in the summer, and Holland believes he was made a scapegoat for the match with Ricky Saints.

"But it didn't happen. I went into a feud with Tony D unsuccessfully. And then I had Ricky Starks' first match. Then, again, I didn't think the match was anything special. There was a couple of things that went wrong. It happens in wrestling communicatively or memory-wise, and then I think because there was a lot of eyes on that and Ricky was a new guy, I just think I was made a bit of a scapegoat. Then I got taken off TV for four to six months, and then I found myself in EVOLVE," Holland continued.

"I asked is there anything I need to work on? Is it my promos? Is it my work? And everyone was like, 'No, no. We've just got nothing. All our babyfaces are taken up.' You know when you're getting waffled."

Holland was informed in mid-October that his WWE contract would be allowed to expire on November 14. The former NXT Tag Team Champion ended up being fired for breach of contract by WWE, however, after he vented on social media about feeling "hung out to dry" by the company. Holland revealed to Cultaholic that he made the X/Twitter post after he received a foreclosure notice on his home.

Oba Femi would become NXT Champion at New Year's Evil 2025 when he defeated Trick Williams and Eddy Thorpe in a triple threat match.